A New Holiday Tradition? Texas Hill Country and Big Bend NP

[rocketbunny]

Sport-Touring encompasses many different things, among them a willingness to travel long distances for the chance to briefly experience a distant kick*** (and sometimes not so kick***) twisty road. All too often, this “touring” consists of "getting somewhere" by droning down a curve-deficient highway in sub-optimal conditions because that’s where the vacation time-window happens to be.

Sub-optimal conditions were very much on my mind that morning as tiny hailstones pinged off my visor and onto the chip-sealed surface of the almost deserted Texas hill country highway.

It was one of those days.

It was the weekend before Christmas 2006 and I was headed to Big Bend National Park for a winter sport-touring adventure. I had taken the previous day, a Friday, off from work to get an early escape from shopping-frenzied Houston.

Friday’s ride was mostly unremarkable. I took a northerly route out of Houston, along familiar FM roads that were part of my usual day-ride repertoire.

Lunch (sans pie, alas) was at the Texan Café in Hutto, where I paused to snap a photo of the creepy cow‘s head hanging over the entrance.

I crossed I-35 north of Austin, finally getting to roads that were *almost* out of reach for a day-ride from Houston. After a Texas highway patrol officer took time from his busy schedule to remind me not to enjoy the curves too much, I slowed down to note with sadness the roadside grading work. From the looks of things, by this time next year FM1431 will be downgraded from “One of the better roads in the state” to “Newly improved and straightened 4-lane connector road”.

The short winter day was waning as I turned south with plans to meet an old friend for dinner in Boerne. I took the Willow City Loop, a very scenic 1.5 lane goat trail, and then FM1376 past famous Luckenbach, TX.

The last orange rays of the sun were disappearing from the sky as I pulled into the chain restaurant parking lot. Dinner with my old friend was pleasant, but even more so was the thought that by the time I got back on the bike for the 30 mile interstate dash to Kerrville, it would be dark enough for my headlights to be effective.

I fell asleep to the Weather Channel’s ominous whispers about a Saturday of storms and near-freezing temperatures.

Which gets me back to that dreary and cold Saturday morning. I was droning down I-10 west of Kerrville at 80mph (the nice speed limit signs said I could!) and moments away from making a decision.

 

[Gixxer Geezer]

Nice pictures... thanks for posting

 

[rocketbunny]

My onboard temperature gauge was at 45° and light rain mixed with small hailstones was pelting my helmet and bouncing off my instrument cluster. I told myself that the *safe* route was to take I-10 all the way. At the last minute, my body rebelled and I veered right for the exit to SR-41 and a day of relatively straight but scenic back roads.

I had started the morning with a three route plans. The first and most fun (twisties through the hill country) was completely nixed by the uncooperative weather. The second was a long drone down I-10. The third, and my ultimate choice, was of Texas and US highways through the hill country and then skating along the Mexican border on US90.

For the first 30 miles, I was certain that I’d made a bad choice and would need to turn around. The rain was light but steady. The hail had died down, but could reappear at any moment. Warm and dry with my winter riding suit, Widder electric vest, and heated grips, I was prepared to go all day in this light rain, IF it stayed light.

Happily, the rain eventually stopped and I was left to my own thoughts as I rolled down gently curving US377. When the highway intersection warning sign for FM-674 appeared, I was mildly regretting giving up so soon on my fun route for the day, but telling myself that it would pay off in the end if I made it to Alpine, TX before dark for my planned rendezvous with Anna (Vivid1).

In another brilliant strike of inspiration, I turned left onto FM-674, recognizing it from my pre-trip planning.

The road was dry, scenic, and quite a roller-coaster. The rain had not filled the creeks at all, so the low water crossings provided my stomach with a dip of gravity rather than the clench of worry. I greatly enjoyed each of the 60 miles to Bracketville, TX. As I slowed to obey the reduced speed limit signs that always seem to infest populated areas, the sky let loose again with a moment of the hardest rain I’d seen all day. I was just thankful that it had seen fit to wait until I was back on straight roads.

The rain was far behind me as I got fuel and lunch in Del Rio, TX before continuing down US-90. Though mildly curvy in places, the road was marked with a 75mph speed limit, so I didn’t really regret missing out on the 80mph sections of I-10. Although the sky was gray and overcast, temperatures were hovering in the mid 50s.

I stopped for a brief photo shoot at Amistad Reservoir.

And stopped again at the Pecos River crossing.

The horizon was socked in with fog and the temperatures were dropping into the 30s around 4:30pm as I approached the mountain range surrounding Alpine.

I entered the fog about 20 miles from my destination. It wasn’t a complete white-out, but I slowed and turned off the headlight modulator. After a while, I noticed that a truck was keeping it’s distance behind me. I signaled him to pass, hoping to follow his tail-lights for a while. He had seemed happy with my 65mph pace, but immediately sped up to 75mph once past me. I wasn’t really thrilled to be keeping that pace in the fog, but I followed him until a LEO coming the other direction twinkled his lights at us in warning. The truck soon disappeared and I was left to make my own way. The hotel soon appeared and I parked the bike.

Anna was still several hours away, so I walked across the street to warm up with some coffee and my book for a few hours. When she called to tell me she had arrived, it was dark and still foggy. I could barely make out the huge lighted sign for the hotel just across the street.

After unpacking the bike and her truck, we drove into Alpine for dinner at the Edelweiss Brewery in the historic Holland Hotel. We each had schnitzel (tenderized breaded pork) while chatting and swapping sport-touring stories. The live band (two guys with a ukulele) entertained us with such popular favorites as “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and “Meet the Flintstones”. We fled back to the hotel when they broke out the bagpipes.

 

[rocketbunny]

Sunday morning dawned clear and cold. Anna woke me with the exclamation “There’s ice on your bike!”

Anna was headed directly to the campground, but I had a day of twisties planned. After getting breakfast and fuel, I headed north on SR-118.

It got colder as I rose in altitude. I started seeing snow on the side of the road approaching McDonald Observatory.

I stopped at the observatory complex for about an hour, walking through the museum attached to the visitor’s center. A shaded area in the plaza in front of the visitor’s center surprised me with it’s coat of ice. Slipping, I flailed my arms to regain balance. The ice episode was on my mind for the rest of my loop around the Davis Mountains. I remembered how slippery ice was whenever the road was in shade (and obviously wet).

I paused briefly at the town hall in Marfa on my way to Presidio. I had lunch at the highly recommended El Patio restaurant in Presidio. The food was basic Mexican cuisine; nothing particularly spectacular.

The real treat of the day was the road after lunch. FM-170 twists along the Rio Grande for most of the 70 miles to Terlingua. It was *interesting* to be riding the border of another country.

I arrived in Study Butte around 5pm and quickly found the RV park where we were camping. Parking at the office, I scouted the campsite location to figure out the best route over the dirt access road. Anna and Co were out riding, so I parked the R1200ST beside her truck and dug my sunglasses out of the tank bag.

Just when I had decided to sit at a picnic table and read, a sidecar rig came buzzing down the road. Ara “Beemerchef” and Spirit “the sidecar dog” had arrived. Anna (from Chicago), Mike (from Louisiana), and John (from San Antonio, TX) appeared on their dual-sports moments later.

A recent addition to the R1200ST was a great icebreaker. Ooooooh remote-controlled LEDs…

Dinner was Mike’s homemade chili, warmed in a cast iron pot over a camp stove. After eating, we sat around the camp stove (no fires allowed) and swapped stories.

Anna and I were planning to sleep in our tents, despite the forecast for bitterly cold temperatures. John hadn’t brought a tent, with a sweet setup in the bed of his pickup. Mike was skeptical, but willing to try the tent thing.

I was warm all night in my new REI Zephyr 10° synthetic sleeping bag with a liner, but the high winds that arrived late in the night prevented me from getting much sleep. Feeling the wind shake my tent, I was CERTAIN that I’d wake to find the R1200ST on it’s side.

 

[rocketbunny]

I awoke on Christmas Day feeling lazy. The bikes were all upright after the high winds, but the camp was definitely windblown. Anna complained that her tent was full of sand. My stuff was a little dusty, but I think I lucked out and oriented the tent correctly against the wind. Mike had fled to his truck halfway through the night, leaving only us girls sticking it out in the tents!

Breakfast was a Clif bar washed down with water from my camelbak. Anna and I spent the majority of the morning sitting in the newly discovered Rec Room surfing the web and posting pictures. A little after noon, we geared up to go our separate ways into the park.

I started by heading down the main park road all the way east to Panther Junction. I wanted to get a baseline for my Big Bend Experience.

Next I rode up the enjoyably switch-backed Basin Road to the Chisos Lodge area.

The visitor’s center was closed, but the store was open. I purchased a pre-made sandwich and bottle of juice. After locking up my valuables, I walked down the short Window View trail. I sat on a handy bench and contemplated the view while eating my lunch.

Next up was the road to Santa Elena Canyon. It was roughly 30 miles to the canyon view, and it seemed to take forever. There was a new incredible view around every corner.

I arrived back at the campground around 5:45. Mike was relaxing in a chair with a book and John was unpacking his bike from the day’s ride. Ara joined us briefly to discuss the day and ask me to explain a digital photo editing question that was on his mind.

Anna, Mike, John, and I went out to dinner at the Starlight Theater. Built as a silent movie hall for turn of the century miners, the building looked like it could crumble into the desert at any moment. The food was excellent. The menu included several imaginative entrees that seemed almost out of place in the dilapidated ghost town of Terlingua.

 

[rocketbunny]

I awoke just before 8am and rolled over to see that it was in the low 20s. Brrr.

With a long day ahead, I was determined to get an early start, so I immediately extricated myself from the sleeping bag and started to pack up. I guess the cold caused me to move more slowly, because it was a full two hours before I waved goodbye and rolled the ST down the dirt access road and onto TX-118.

The first 80 miles were to be the most fun I’d have all day. The R1200ST twisted and turned like a pro on the winding asphalt. On one of the long straights, the whispering voice of temptation was strong, but I only twisted my right hand a little before deciding not to risk it. Coming down out of the Davis Mountains into Alpine, I was strongly reminded of CA-58 and the descent to McKittrick.

I made my first fuel stop of the day in Alpine with 570 miles to go. It is always a bit depressing to see that high of a goal on the GPS at close to midday (it was just after 11am). I opted to have a Clif bar for breakfast and get back to eating miles.

An hour and a half later, I was rolling down I-10 at 84 mph (speedlimit is 80!) having a hard time keeping my focus. I was tired and getting the afternoon doldrums early. After I found myself shaking my head to keep awake, I pulled into a rest area for a break. An almond Snickers bar that had been floating around my topbox provided a nice sugar rush while I sat and read my book for a few minutes.

Surprisingly refreshed from that short break, I easily made it to Ozona, TX for a lunch and fuel stop around 2pm.

After getting such a slow start with many stops in the morning, I was slightly concerned about my ability to keep good saddle discipline on this 650 mile day. Happily, that “so tired and can’t seem to keep my eyes open” feeling never returned. I was easily able to stay focused on the road through the entire 200 miles from Ozona to San Antonio without needing to make a single stop.

Many sport-touring riders seem to despise interstate travel. While it’s not my favorite way to burn a tire, I truly don’t mind. Ensconced on the R1200ST as it comfortably floats down the road with the xm radio piping tunes into my helmet, I can ride all day without being bored. With my body happy and relaxed into the ST’s bent over riding position, I can go for hours without a stretch. I tend to keep my feet on the pegs and body tucked in slightly. My eyes constantly scan the road and my mirrors, analyzing the probable actions of the vehicles around me while my lips move to the music.

The sun had just set when I made my final fuel stop. According to the GPS, I had another 180 miles to go and would arrive home around 9pm. I called my parents to give an update on my ETA before gearing back up with my electric vest.

As full dark approached, the temperature dropped. My new HID bulb replacement was putting plenty of light down the road, so I had none of my usual night-vision problems.

A warm shower and some homemade Zuppa Toscana was waiting for me when I rolled into the garage around 8:45pm after one of my longest ever days on the road.

I had never before thought of winter as an ideal time to take a long road trip. This might need to become a new holiday tradition.

 

[Duke]

Becca!

What a great write up (as usual!) All of y'all heading out to Big Bend is truly making me jealous. I have to get off my duff and head out there SOON.

Your photos are superb, one of these days I hope to be able to take as nice of pictures as you do.

Thanks for sharing.

Duke

 

[Janet]

Sounds like a great trip. It makes me miss Big Bend, and I was just there in October. I was told at that time that the only way to see Big Bend was off-road. They are sooo wrong. Beautiful pictures Becca. Thanks.

Janet

 

[Faylaricia]

Read it on your blog already and again, awesome shots and sweet writing. It reads itself like a novel sometimes.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Georgiapeach]

Becca!

What a great write up (as usual!) All of y'all heading out to Big Bend is truly making me jealous. I have to get off my duff and head out there SOON.

Your photos are superb, one of these days I hope to be able to take as nice of pictures as you do.

Thanks for sharing.

Duke

Duke shares my exact sentiments, excellent write up, wish I was there.

 

[Texas T]

Great photos and great commentary.

 

[Snoopster]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[donroger1]

Becca,

I think you need to "score" Anna's hat.

After all, RocketBunny.

Great ride report, "as usual".

 

[Eulogite]

Good stuff!

 

[rgatling]

Great report, Becca! This completes the story, as I read Anna's report on advrider.com

 

[jhansen]

Great report and even better photos...I gotta get out of Houston and go to the park!

 

[Hairsmith]

Thanks for sharing Becca
When I got my GS it had a Big Bend State Park sticker on it. I removed it because I despise posers.
One of the primary reasons for getting a GS was to ride to BB. Your ride report has reminded me of that, and got me all primed to make that ride this year.
Besides since my GS knows the way it should be easy.
Beautiful pictures Wonderful writing
Thanks for talking the time to take us along.

 

[Tabasco]

Nice job I have a ST also (Honda) Luling

 

[Calgary-Yogi]

I to took off on the Friday before X-mas and spent Saturday and Sunday in the hill country around Vanderpool. I am happy to report that the rain gear works wonders, but the camera is not waterproof so no pictures from the 3 sisters. Any chance you could provide a more detailed route (google or Garmin) of the roads you took to Luckenbach. I am new to the area and looking for some good riding (both blacktop and gravel)

Thanks in advance

 

[beemer2010]

Neat pictures and great writing.

 

[Packrat]

Great job, Becca - you captured all the reasons we love Big Bend - including the hogs!!

 

[Trailace]

Thanks for sharing Becca looks like you had a Great ride.

 

[busarider1]

Great write-up. Getting me psyched up for my ride there over the MLK weekend.

 

[z_clark]

Great report!!! Thanks for sharing! Glad you didn't turn into a pop-sickle!!! BURRRRR!!!!!

 

[mlinkibikr]

Awesome report and I envy your ability to stay warm and comfy in those cold temps. I must be doing somethig wrong but when it gets into the low 40's ... well anyway I'll work on it. Seems like a great time to visit the park - better cold than 110 in the shade!

Dave.